


Astilbe

by CorvusCanidae



Series: SITM [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: (but don't worry about that for now), (plus some Dark Shit in later chapters), High Fantasy, Not beta read we die like lesbians, Rated T for swearing, SITM, Trust me it gets more interesting after this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-19 18:42:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19978732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorvusCanidae/pseuds/CorvusCanidae
Summary: I'll try to update this somewhat regularly but warning that my Stupid Monkey Brain will probably forget to establish any kind of schedule. Future chapters should be longer.If any of y'all have Drawcast there's art for this on the account @Noivern





	Astilbe

**Author's Note:**

> I'll try to update this somewhat regularly but warning that my Stupid Monkey Brain will probably forget to establish any kind of schedule. Future chapters should be longer. 
> 
> If any of y'all have Drawcast there's art for this on the account @Noivern

The stirring of the cool northern breeze through the trees and the gentle crunch of two sets of worn boots over old sand and gravel were the only sounds punctuating the night as Aalis gingerly picked her way through the increasingly sharp outcroppings of rock that jutted through the towering, mossy trees. Despite it being nearly dawn, the ancient foliage left the forest floor around her in a perpetual sort of blue-tinged twilight. Finally extricating herself from the maze-like forest quarry, she chanced another glance ahead and was relieved to find her companion was waiting at the edge of the clearing--Simri had a tendency to follow the philosophy of 'keep up or get left behind', so Aalis had been forced to wander through the woods seeking her trail a few too many times. Heartened by the uncharacteristic show of patience, Aalis proceeded to flop down with her back to the overgrown grasses with an exaggerated flourish and what her father would surely describe as a poor imitation of a beached leviathan pup.  
"Get up, lazybones."  
"No, I don't think I will."  
"Oh, grow up, you big baby. We've only been walking for eight minutes and you know it". Simri was leaning against a tree now, a bemused but affectionate smirk gracing her round features and tattooed arms crossed. Consistent access to her father's bakery left her deceptively plump, despite her apprenticeship as a blacksmith and the resulting muscle being the true culprit of her bulk. Reddish-hazel eyes twinkled with mirth as they met her own innocently blinking blue ones. 

Aalis flipped over and propped herself up on her elbows, still feigning a confused naivety, but turned too quickly and hit herself in the face with the end of her dust-colored braid. "Whatever could you possibly be referring to, my dearest and most trusted friend? This journey has been long and strenuous and I don't believe I can make it any further. You'll have to go on without me. I will surely perish here. This is my grave. Goodbye". With that, she let her arms go limp and lay there wheezing dramatically, face down in a patch of flower buds. Every few seconds, she'd glance up at Simri again to gauge her reaction. 

With a loud sigh and casual stretch, Simri walked over and, without another word, tossed Aalis over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. She turned around and kept walking, completely nonchalant as Aalis shrieked and started kicking and squirming (a much more accurate imitation of a beached leviathan pup). 

"PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT RIGHT NOW IMMEDIATELY" 

"No, I don't think I will"

\----

Simri gently placed her down on a raised piece of debris, weathered down enough to be porous yet still unnaturally rectangular. Much like the other blocks in the new clearing, old runes decorated every visible surface of it, left illegible by wear-and-tear and plant growth. The trees were a bit sparser here, but tenfold as ancient, each one towering far above with vast branches braided into each other to form a wooden cavern of sorts. And in the center of that wooden cavern sat a building. 

It looked as ancient as the trees, if not more so; a peculiar thing, almost resembling a small fortress were it not hewn of the same soft cobble the craftsman of old had popularized as an easy medium for the increasingly complex carvings that characterized the Grendlwyrm Dynasty. These ruins, however, were not decorated with crawling murals or lifelike busts--just more of those indecipherable concentric runes, scrawled across every available surface, drawn shallow enough to be unusual. The intricacies of stonework weren't exactly her specialty, but this was definitely a new type of ruin. She turned to Simri, any indignation over how she got there forgotten in the thrill of discovery. 

"You really weren't kidding, h-"

Simri wasn't there.  
Fuck.

**Author's Note:**

> Not pictured above: Simri crawling in thru Aalis's window like the goblin she is at 3 am, yelling abt this cool rock she found


End file.
